India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

Group buying sites, discounted fashion brand retailers and specialised online stores dominate the list of 20 hottest e-commerce start-ups, according to a study conducted by Dataquest.

The sites have been rated based on three broad parameters - business model, user experience, and traction. The business model score of a site was derived from estimated actual revenue, positioning, funding received, and their relative positioning within a category.

Online retail is picking up in India, after a false start about a decade ago. The business model of these companies is far more robust than the companies set up in the first phase ten years ago, says Dataquest.

Many of these sites have adapted models better suited to Indian needs eg: a combination of factors--pay on delivery, buy two and return one (for shoes), create your own designs for t-shirts etc, imported labels in garments, perfumes and gizmos.

The list of 20 hottest e-commerce sites is based on research carried out by Dataquest, in partnership with SapientNitro and JuxtConsult.

(Dataquest excluded companies in existence before 2007 as also single product companies like Amway, Dell, Shoppers Sstop. Also excluded were sites set up by media houses like Sify, Rediff, Indiatimes, Homeshop18. It also excluded travel, insurance, movies.)

Click NEXT to find out more about India's hottest e-commerce sites (The list is in alphabetical order)

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

Targeted at the impulse buyers, Bindaasbargain follows 'One Deal A Day Concept' under which products are sold to retail consumers at wholesale prices and usually allows each user to buy 3 of each item.

An online store that operates within a brisk time frame, Bindaas Bargain offers a new deal every day. The products include gadgets, home theatres, luxury watches, smash games at cheap prices delivered to your doorstep.

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

Launched in 2008 online retailer of diamonds, Caratlane.com, combines the advantages of an offline and an online site - the trust enjoyed by a three-city brick and mortar diamond store that offers 5-15 per cent lower prices online.

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

A group buying portal, Dealsandyou.com, provides discounts on services and products. Set up by Harish Bahl and Group Buying Global AG in June 2010, the site has an outreach of over 1.5 million members.

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

Launched by IIT Bombay alumni Kashyap Dalal and Navneet Rai as a customized t-shirt selling site, Inkfruit.com challenges its users with design contests from time-to-time. It is involved in buying and co-creation.

Besides t-shirts, buyers can also try other products like mugs, posters, and calendars. While the company raised a round of angel investment, it has to raise further funds to create marketing impact.

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

Magazinemall.in entered the Dataquest list primarily because of its user experience score.

It provides online subscription of magazines at one place. Within a year of its inception it has entered into agreements with more than 37 publishing groups covering more than 200 publication titles across various categories.

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

Established in January 2008, Naaptol.com boasts to be the first comparison based social shopping portal in India which sells consumer electronic goods, laptops, mobiles, cameras, LCD TVs, and home appliances.

The website lets users find the latest deals and the lowest prices available in the market.

The site has over 50,000 offers listed across a wide range of categories and hopes to clock Rs 140 crore (Rs 1.4 billion) revenue this year.

India's 20 hottest e-commerce startups

SnapDeal is the leader in the hottest category of ecommerce models: group buying. Founded by Jasper Infotech in 2010, a coupon player, SnapDeal sells everything from dining to beauty packages, health services to lifestyle products, holiday packages to movie tickets.

SnapDeal attracts 500,000 visitors everyday, and more than 600,000 subscribers to its daily deal newsletters. On the ground too, it has tie-ups with 50,000 merchants across 30 cities in India, and has also extended services to 5 overseas locations.

Set up in February 2010 the site has already attracted a round of angel and a round of institutional funding from NEA IndoUS Ventures.